1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to protective covers, such as, a cover for protecting a plant against weather damage and to a method of making such a cover.
2. Prior Art Statement
It is known in the art to provide a cover such as a reinforced cover for protecting a plant against weather damage. For example, when planting various crops such as tomatoes, or the like, it is desirable to plant such crops at the earliest possible time in the Spring, provided the crops are protected against damage by poor weather, such as frost, sleet, snow, heavy rain, wind, and the like.
One technique which has been employed heretofore to enable early planting is to cover one or more plants with a tent or open-ended container or shield. Often a single open-ended container or shield is provided and placed in an inverted manner over a single plant and such container may be made of metal, glass, plastic, paper, or other material. It is standard practice to cover each plant at night with a shield or container and then remove same during the day.
Accordingly, because of the cost of many containers or shields of the type described above, used heretofore, it would be desirable to provide a simple and inexpensive cover for plants which provides the necessary protection against the weather yet could be maintained in position for substantial time periods or removed daily, or at other intervals, at the growers discretion.
It is also known in the art to provide a highly flexible tube made primarily of polymeric material and having a helically wound reinforcing member provided along its axial length; and, it is known to form such a polymeric tube by helically winding a strip of polymeric material with portions of adjoining helical turns in overlapped relation and simultaneously helically winding a reinforcing member in sandwiched relation between the overlapped portions and as disclosed typically in U.S. Pat. No. 4,203,476.